The surplus with Taiwan rose 15 percent to Japanese Yen 153.10 billion.

"It is hard to confirm the impact of SARS on Japanese exports to the Asian region," a ministry official said. "There are reports from Jap-anese firms operating in Asia who are refraining from starting new production and closing factories but there are also reports companies are building up inventories and accelerating output."

"From the latest data, we cannot see any signs that the SARS outbreak has had any macro-economic impact" on Asian economies, he said. "We cannot tell what will happen in the future but so far, the effects of the disease seem minimal to none," he said.

The surplus with the US fell 11.8 percent to Japanese Yen 568.3 billion while that with the EU rose 38.4 percent in the month to Japanese Yen 273.3 billion.